Thursday, November 15, 2007

Song of the Week: Shady Grove

The only reason I hadn't made "Shady Grove" a Song of the Week before was because I thought I had already written about the song two years ago. My uncle taught this song to me in the key of E minor from the indespensible Rise Up Singing book.

"Who is Shady Grove?" people wonder. "Is it a place or is she a person?" The answer is, "Yes." Some versions of this traditional Appalachian tune refer to Harlan, which is in the state of Kentucky. Lucia knows that when I sing "Shady Grove" with my particular verses, I'm singing to her.

I've transposed the song to the key of A minor and added two chords. If you are a beginning guitarist, play the A minor and G chords. Once you're comfortable with the chord changes, you can add the other chords. The chords for the chorus are the same as for all the verses.

HWM: It's funny-- I'm not a Grateful Dead fan at all (I don't dislike them, I'm just not captivated by their music), but I really like the other stuff Garcia has done. Okay, I'll admit it, I like "Truckin'." Can't think of anything else, though.